The End's Begining
by BrokenAngelOfTime
Summary: Sequel of 'With Every Breath'. Draco and Harry face the war, standing on different sides of the line. How will their relationship stand this test of time and emotions? Will Harry forgive Draco after what happens? Read, review and enjoy!
1. This Day's Ending

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back, after reading the Harry Potter books (I have not started the last one just yet, but I will be starting it Saturday once I borrow it. ;D) This is a sequel of sorts to my other story 'With Every Breath', but it can be read on it's own, I suppose if you wanted to. I highly suggest you read that one first, though, because it's good and I may make references to some of the events in there at some point during this story. This is just a little starter/intro chapter to this story. It will be HEAVILY cannon based, but of course, with my twist on the events. There will be a large skip at some point, as Harry and Draco don't see each other for a while while Harry is hunting Horcruxes with Hermione and Ron. I will not be updating as fast as I did last time because I have to catch up reading before I can write about the Battle of Hogwarts. Buuuut, I shall be posting the Battle of the Astronomy Tower tomorrow, because I just finished it a few minutes ago :3 I'll let you read now. Please review!**

Harry noticed that Draco has been acting rather oddly the past week or so. He hadn't questioned his boyfriend about it, knowing that if it was something important, that Draco would tell him on his own accord when he was ready. There were some things that they couldn't talk about, or at least choose not to, such as the war. It didn't affect their relationship, but it did leave a small blank spot in terms of normal conversation these days. Much of the time, they were left in a comfortable silence around each other; not that Harry minded much. Just being with Draco was enough, feeling his loving emotions and the gentle caress of his hands and lips on his skin.

Ron had gotten mildly used to having Draco spend the night a good amount of the time; Draco avoided the Slytherin common room if he could, knowing that he would be subjected to taunting and possibly physical violence. Harry showed his protectiveness of the blonde boy, holding his hand between classes as they walked together, giving the Slytherin house a glare whenever he saw one of them and allowing Draco to spend time with him in the Gryffindor common room whenever he wanted. The other Gryffindors were polite at best, but Harry was glad for the simply silent treatment that his boyfriend received. Draco didn't seem bothered by it, expecting worse, as it seems.

The Slytherin's skin was losing it's small amount of color. His hair was thinning out, turning a lighter color as well. And his eyes, his normally silver eyes were now a dark, cloudy grey. They lightened somewhat on occasion, but it was becoming more and more rare these days.

During his detentions with Snape, Harry wondered what Draco was up to, but the blonde never shared what he did during these hours without his boyfriend, and Harry wasn't going to pry. They held respect for each other. Dumbledore had not given him permission to share his "lessons" with the headmaster to Draco, but he never asked details about them. He simply knew that Harry was learning things that would help him defeat the Dark Lord when the time came. The respect between them made it easy to not feel bad about sharing every detail, as Harry would normally feel. It seemed that Draco was the exception for a lot of things.

It was a Friday night, and Harry currently had his head in Draco's lap. They had been lazing around the common room for the past hour or so, having finished a majority of their homework. It was nice to simply be together, as they didn't share very many classes nor could they sit by each other during meal times very often. Hermione had complained about not seeing Harry without his boyfriend, so the couple decided that meals were set aside for Harry to spend some time with his friends alone. Not to say that they were glued at the hip, but they did spend a good amount of time together outside classes.

Draco's pale hands were smoothing through Harry's dark locks absentmindedly. The action was starting to make the Gryffindor a bit sleepy, as was the heat of the dying fire. A though occurred to him, though, and he smirked up at Draco, catching his hand and bringing it to his lips. "I believe I made you a promise earlier in the week," he whispered seductively, sitting up so he could crawl into Draco's lap, ready to plant his lips firmly on the blonde's. After all, he had promised Draco that they could spend the night together since he had detention with Snape tomorrow afternoon, and he was awaiting Dumbledore's message of their next lesson. Time between them was precious, and Harry was ready to take full advantage of it.

But the Slytherin sighed, shaking his head as Harry attempted to kiss him. The Gryffindor frowned, placing a firm hand on Draco's cheek. "What's-"

"I can't talk about it, Harry. It's... just something I have to deal with on my own." Draco's tone was choked, and a clear look into his grey eyes told Harry why. They were brimming with tears.

A frown still set on his face, Harry kissed Draco's forehead gently. "Can you still stay the night?" he asked in a comforting whisper as the blonde burrowed his face into Harry's shoulder, fighting the tears.

"Yes."

Stroking Draco's hair, the raven cradled his boyfriend's head against him. "I love you." It wasn't something that they told each other often, as the verbal reassurance wasn't needed much of the time. But it never hurt, either, to say it.

The blonde was quiet for a minute or so, able to quell his tears and draw in several deep, calming breaths. "I love you too. Let's go to bed." The common room had a few fifth years studying for their OWL exams, but they were deep into their books. Hermione had already gone to bed, tired from a long week of last minute work from her classes. Ron, too, was sleep, claiming he wanted an early rise to finish an essay for Potions, but Harry assumed he just didn't want to be a third wheel for the couple.

Climbing out of Draco's lap, Harry followed him up to his dorm. The gentle snores of his roommate were that of real sleep, thankfully. The Gryffindor changed silently before climbing into bed and spelling the curtain's shut once Draco had joined him. The blonde's arms were tight, protective around his waist, and the feeling of Draco's bare chest against his equally bare back sent shivers down his spine. Skin to skin contact between them always made his insides buzz pleasantly, usually in arousal, but this wasn't sexual. It was loving, gentle, and Harry considered himself lucky to see this side of Draco. Or rather, that he could make Draco want to show this side of himself.

The Slytherin boy kissed his shoulder, whispering loving things in his ears. The deep, sultry voice lured him into a sense of peace, nearly instantly putting him into a peaceful slumber.


	2. Lost In You

**A/N: So, here is your long awaited sexy times. I'm sorry if it sucks. I'm still learning, sorta. This chapter is short because I didn't want to have to go on about Harry and Dumbledore's trip to get the locket. The next one will be better, I promise! It will be the actual battle; lots of insight onto Harry's thoughts and feelings, and his duel with Snape, too. And dramatic parting scene between him and Draco D: The chapter after that will start going into the next book, which I have to start reading before I write, so it may be a good chunk of time before that will be up. I hope you enjoy this one, though! I'll let you read now. Read, review and enjoy ;3**

Harry awoke to Draco's hand rubbing seductively over his stomach in slow, teasing patterns. The raven groaned slightly under his breath, having enough logic to sit up slight and check to see if Ron was in the room. He wasn't, but the Gryffindor still cast a quick silencing charm over his bed none the less. When this was complete, Harry looked over at his smirking boyfriend, who's hand was now making it's way south on Harry's body. The blonde wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You still have a promise to fulfill. Gryffindor's don't break promises," he said in a sultry as his fingers slipping under the waist band off Harry's pajamas.

Groaning at the sensations, Harry pounced Draco, gladly shoving his tongue into his boyfriend's mouth and raving the inside. Draco's hand continued their work to remove the rest of their clothing, slipping to smooth over the bare skin of the raven's ass. Harry rocked his hips against the other man, and even if there wasn't bare skin there just yet, it was pleasurable.

The Slytherin managed to get their pants off a moment later, leaving them in their boxers. There was a brief struggle for domination, but Draco won, per usual. Harry would never admit it, but he loved being the bottom. Draco would hit this place inside of him that made him see stars. A warm hand slipped under the waist band of his boxers, closing around his member. The Gryffindor hissed in Parseltongue, unable to find words as pleasure filled his mind. Draco groaned at the hissing sound, eagerly ripping off boy of their boxers and groping for his wand. Harry panted heavily, watching with great interest as the blonde boy cast a lubrication charm on his fingers before inserting one of them into his waiting hole.

Wincing slightly at the sensation, the Gryffindor waited a few moments for his body to get used to the object in his body, relaxing under Draco's touch. He leaned up, kissing Harry heatedly as he inserted a second finger, gently pumping them in and out. Harry moaned deeply under him as he hit his prostate, his words slurred with hisses. Why Parseltongue turned him on so much, the Slytherin would never know, but he was surely glad of his choice of partner for that reason.

Once the raven was thoroughly stressed, Draco pulled his fingers out and charmed his member with the same lubrication charm. Green met silver before the blonde slowly pushed into Harry's body, stopping once he was fully sheathed. He waited, patiently, as Harry's faced cycled emotions. First it was the wince of the pain of his body stretching to fit around Draco's nicely sized cock. Next came the slow relax. Finally, the impatient look entered the Gryffindor's eyes, letting Draco know he could move now.

And he did, starting a bit slow before picking up the speed quickly. Whenever he would ram up against the other man's prostate, a series of hisses and grunts would escape Harry. Draco would groan quietly at the sounds coming from his boyfriend, his movements becoming less measured, more frantic. Harry growled, wrapping his legs around Draco's waist. The blonde started pumping the raven in time with his thrusts, feeling himself coming close.

The climax was quite an event, Harry spilling first and making all sorts of oddly erotic snake noises. Draco came a moment after that, riding out his orgasm for as long as possible before slipping his now limp member out of Harry. Both of the boys were panting heavily, but Harry managed to find his wand and cast a quick cleaning charm before Draco wrapped him in his arms, kissing him soundly on the temple.

Their breathing eventually returned to normal, and Harry forced himself to check the time, for he had detention with Snape this morning. He didn't want to be late and have more detention or have house points deduced. While Snape was letting up slightly to Harry because of his relationship with Draco, it wasn't nearly enough to keep him from losing points every now and again.

It was nine. Harry groaned, rolling over on top of his boyfriend. "Come shower with me," he said, pouting up at Draco.

The blonde laughed, musing Harry's hair. "Of course. You don't want to go to detention freshly fucked. Snape would kill you. And give me a stern talking to." Leaning down, he planted a kiss on Harry's pout before pulling their clothing back from the corners of the bed they were in. He didn't want to smell like sex for what he had to do later, either.

After a shower and some breakfast, the two boys separated. Harry went down to Snape's office, while Draco went off on his own, as usual. Harry was kind of curious to where he went, but he respected his boyfriend's privacy too much to ask. A part of him didn't want to know, either.

Draco wasn't in the common room when Harry returned from his detention. The raven tried not to worry about it much, finishing some homework with Ron, who looked happy to see his best mate without the blonde boy at his side. Ron hadn't warmed up much to Draco yet, but Harry was hopeful they would get alone eventually. Hermione, being the female that she was, gladly accepted Draco after a bit of a rocky start. Hell, even Ginny didn't mind Draco being around, though she did keep her distance most of the time. Harry was sad that they weren't as close as they used to be, but he figured that something like this would happen when he got Draco involved in his life. The love he got from the Slytherin was worth more then his friendship with Ginny.

Dinner came around, and Harry searched the Slytherin table for his boyfriend, only to find it empty of blonde boys. Frowning, the raven decided he would check the map once he got back to the common room, if Draco wasn't there. He had the password, after all.

He wasn't on the map, either, and that had Harry worried. If he wasn't on the map, he must have been in the Room of Requirement. It was the only part of the castle that didn't show up on the map. Determined to go see what was wrong with Draco, Harry returned the map to his room and was about to walk out the portal hole when a young man was at his side. "Harry, sir? This is from Dumbledore." He handed him a piece of parchment.

"Thanks, Jimmy." Letting his green eyes scan over the parchment, he blinked at the message. Dumbledore wanted him, right now. But, Draco needed him, too. Harry stared at his shoes for a moment, weighing his options. He decided that Draco would understand if he went to Dumbledore first. After all, these lessons were _kind of_ important.

Making up his mind, he double checked for his cloak and his wand before walking up to Dumbledore's office. Or, at least, he was on his way to the headmaster's office when he ran into Professor Trelawney. She looked a bit spooked, sitting on the ground with empty bottles of sherry around her. "Professor?" Harry asked as he neared the women, offering her an arm up. "What happened?"

She pulled herself to her feet, straightening out her bead necklaces and glasses. She huffed before launching into her story about the Room of Requirement. Draco suddenly returned to his mind. He was in the room, but for what reason, he couldn't say. And why would he be trying to hide what was going on from a teacher? "Whooping?" he questioned her, raising an eyebrow.

"Gleefully." She nodded, sure of herself.

"Well, umm, I'm sorry but I must see Professor Dumbledore about something. I'll tell him about what you saw, just in case there is a reason to worry about whatever that person was doing in there."

She suddenly gripped his wrist, her eyes sharp. She proceeded to tell Harry about her first interview with Dumbledore, but what most inquired him was when she said 'Severus Snape'. The pieces came together in his head, and suddenly he wanted nothing more to go down to the dungeons and rip the teacher's head off for leading Voldemort to kill his parents.

Without a word to Professor Trelawney, Harry sprinted to Dumbledore's office, angrily slamming the door behind him. The anger poured out of him in the form of yelling, but it was short lived as Dumbledore changed the subject.

"I would like you to come with me, Harry."

"Wait, what do you mean? Sir?" The Gryffindor nearly forgot his manners, but even in his rage, Dumbledore deserved respect. Suddenly, the idea behind their lessons came back to him. "You've found a Horcrux, sir?"

"I believe so."

Harry blinked several times. "And you want me to come with you?"

"Only if you want to."

"Of course I want to!"

"But first, I must ask of some requirements before we leave."

While Harry wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving Dumbledore, he trusted his judgment enough to agree to these conditions. And well, this was the only way he could come, so he had to accept them. The thought of being one step closer to defeating Voldemort was both frightening and exciting at the same time.

The thought of Draco came rushing back to him as Dumbledore requested he get his invisibility cloak. He lied to the headmaster, saying it was in his dormitory. He needed to at least talk to his friends and tell them to find Draco and see what was wrong with him. Worry was starting to eat away at his stomach as he ran to the common room. Hermione and Ron were there, and Harry handed them the map (along with the liquid luck he still had left, just in case) quickly explaining things to them. Hermione was fearful, but she agreed to see what Draco was up to. He thanked them before stumbling out of the portal hole.

'_Draco, please don't do anything stupid while I'm away. I love you.'_


	3. The Reflection of a Lie

His heart pounded painfully against his chest as Harry stared up at the green magic in the sky over the school. The Dark Mark. His first thought was, _'Draco.'_ Worry started to eat away at his insides. He had to find the blonde boy; he needed to make sure he was okay. He needed to keep him safe from the Death Eaters. A sense of panic over took him at the thought of Draco having to assist the Death Eaters. While it was painful to think about, he was one of them, in a physical sense. Not a mental one, of course. He didn't agree with Voldemort or his followers.

Harry suddenly wasn't so sure of himself or his boyfriend anymore.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, the Gryffindor climbed onto the broom in front of him, kicking up off the ground along with Professor Dumbledore. The pair sailed to the school in silence; Harry kept double checking on Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye to make sure he didn't fall. He was, after all, rather weak from their mission.

Grazing again at the Dark Mark, Harry tried to make sense of it all. How did the Death Eaters get into the castle? How did they know about Dumbledore being away? Was anyone hurt? A realization over came him, and he gasped silently. He had sent his friends out into the corridors, asking them to check on Draco for him. What if they got hurt going to the Room of Requirement? Did someone die? The thought of having another person's death on his shoulders was more then a scary thought. He urged his broom forward.

The pair landed in the Astronomy Tower, which was, thankfully, silent. Dumbledore ordered him to get Snape, and Harry wasn't happy to comply, but he hurried to the stairs none the less. Footsteps were on the other side, and Harry retreated, drawing his wand. The invisibility cloak gave him a much needed element of surprise to whoever was coming upstairs.

Just as the door flung itself open, Harry could not move or speak. It was odd, as the spell shouted wasn't a freezing charm in the slightest. Dumbledore's wand flew from the headmaster's hand, and Harry gasped silently at the person standing in the doorway.

Draco was shaking, glancing around the room nervously. His eyes were a dark grey, nearly black with fear and nervousness. His skin was pale, slightly grey in color. He looked like the walking death.

Harry swallowed sharply, trying to reason with himself for this appearance as Dumbledore greeted Draco, polite as ever. "Good evening, Draco." Though he was in a weakened state, he was calm. Harry was tempted to question it, but Dumbledore wasn't something that was to be questioned.

Turning his eyes to Draco, he watched the Slytherin's eyes turn to the two brooms on the ground. "Who else is here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question. Or are you acting on your own?"

Draco took a breath, trying to stop his wand arm from shaking. Harry wanted to scream, reach out, reveal himself, do _something_ but Dumbledore didn't apparently agree with him, casting the freezing charm over him to prevent him from interfering. With this, the Gryffindor questioned the man. They both knew that if Draco saw Harry, he would come to his senses and join the light side. So why hold Harry back from saying anything?

Frowning, Harry didn't have much time to think about it before Draco was speaking again, explaining things. At first, Harry was disgusted at the information, mostly at himself for not noticing that the blonde was doing these things. Was he blinded by his love for Draco to not see that he was a Death Eater at heart? _'No, no. He's shaking right now, afraid. He doesn't want to do it. He was forced to.'_

The Slytherin started shaking more, his emotions running high. Dumbledore attempted to reason with the scared boy in front of him, telling him that they could protect him, but Draco shook his head furiously. "You don't understand! I have to do this! Or he'll... kill my mother."

This statement made Harry's heart fill with pride and love, swashing any fears or thoughts that his boyfriend was a Death Eater at heart. Draco was protecting his family. Draco was _killing_ someone to protect those dearest to him. If that wasn't the ultimate act of courage and love, Harry didn't know what was. He could feel tears running down his cheeks, though he couldn't wipe them away.

All three men in the room knew the same thing: Draco couldn't do it. But, he was going to try, and that was more then enough for Harry to feel the way he did. It was the perfect balance. If Draco could do it without a second thought, then Harry would feel like he didn't know the blonde boy anymore. But he was shaking, talking, unable to do it. It made the situation completely different.

Any positive emotions were ripped from his mind as four Death Eaters climbed up the stairs, bursting onto the scene. Harry listened to the conversation held between the werewolf and Dumbledore, feeling his stomach squirm a bit at the words. Gross. But, his heart dropped even further when a body was mentioned. Someone of the Order was dead? Was it Lupin? Tonks? Moody? He didn't know who had shown up, so he could not make any sort of accurate guess.

Harry watched Draco tremble more as the Death Eaters urged him on, and he felt pride again swell in his chest. He wanted nothing more to reach out and tell the blonde how proud he was, how courageous he was acting, but as the spell kept a tight hold on him, he couldn't. His heart started to beat faster as time ticked on, and he started to think what would happen to Draco when he couldn't do it.

He was thankful for Snape's appearance, if only to distract him from thinking about the wrath of Voldemort on his boyfriend. Dumbledore's pleading voice shocked him deeply. What was going on? Was he so weak that he wanted Snape to kill him?

The teacher in question looked at Dumbledore, his wand raised, and it happened.

Snape killed Dumbledore.

A silent scream of terror escaped Harry as Dumbledore was thrown backwards, off the tower. Suddenly, he could move. The feeling in his limbs was salt in his wound, though, as it really told the Gryffindor that his headmaster was dead.

After a few moments of hesitation, Harry tore off for the Death Eaters, both wanting some sort of revenge against Snape and wanting to talk to Draco, try to save him from having to return to Voldemort's side with the other Death Eaters.

Blood soaked his shoes as he ran through the battle downstairs, but he managed to stay on his feet as he ran, following the trail of bloody footprints from the werewolf. He tossed a few hexes and curses on his way, but he didn't have time to really see what was going on. The need to destroy Snape and save Draco was more important right now.

Finally, he caught up to them. His heart was pounding madly, both from the running and the emotions rushing through him, like rage but also some fear as well. "Draco!" Harry called out, trying to get the blonde boy's attention. He need to look at him, make him know that Harry knew he couldn't do it. After all, they didn't know he was up there through the whole thing.

By the Slytherin boy didn't turn around. He kept running along side Snape. Frustrated, he pushed himself faster, closing the distance between him and Snape. Once he was a bit closer, he threw a curse at the back of Snape. It missed, but it got Snape's attention, at least. The person that he really wanted to see, though, kept running at Snape's command. Growling, Harry started to run after Draco, but Snape's hex stopped him, not reaching it's mark, but stopping him in his tracks.

"Cru-" Harry started to say, the rage rising in his body. Snape pared the curse with ease.

"Harry!"

Draco had stopped running, looking at Harry with wide eyes. Snape growled something at him, but he didn't listen. "Harry," he said, quieter now. Tears started to stream down his face. "I'm-" Again, he was cut off by Snape. Draco glared at the older man. Harry took the opportunity to take a few steps closer to Draco before another hex was sent his way from Snape's wand.

"Draco, please, we can pr-" A loud explosion caught their attention; Hagrid's house had caught fire. Snape threw another curse at him, and Harry lost his nerve. The two got into a duel, but Snape only pared Harry's blows, never returning them.

"COWARD!" Harry screamed. The teacher's expression tightened in rage, and Harry found himself flat on his back, a pain in his head and stars behind in his eyes.

"DO NOT CALL ME A COWARD!"

Harry winced, his head swimming. He looked around, finally able to catch Draco's eye. The blonde boy was standing a few yards away, watching the scene before him. Green met dark grey, and Harry tried to portray all of the right emotions to the Slytherin. There was a silent communication for several seconds. It left Draco in tears, and Harry mouthed the words, _'I still love you.'_

Snape roughly grabbed Draco by the arm, gesturing to the other Death Eaters. They were gone a minute later, leaving Harry to lay in the grass for a moment, tears running down his face both from the physical and emotional pain that he was forced through in the past ten minutes. He was able to process it all before he stood up. Suddenly void of emotions, the Gryffindor helped clean up the mess that was made, not even crying when he saw Dumbledore's body.

Without his hope and love, Harry was lost in a sea of nothingness. Feelings were gone, replaced with tasks that he needed to do to save the world. Things were clearer to him then they had ever been before, but at what cost?

_His heart._

**A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed their parting, for the time being, of course. The next chapter will start off with describing the time Harry and his friends are camping and hunting for Horcruxes, roughly at least, and attempting to put Harry's loss into words. Then, it will focus on the next time the boys see each other after all of this time apart. I have to read the book first, though, so the next chapter won't be up for some time. I would say, between five days and a week. Somewhere around there. Please review!**_  
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	4. Holding On

**A/N: Clearly, I have now finished the book series. But I still have the seventh book to help me write this as far as little details go, so I'm staying as close to canon as possible. Here is their brief unification; the Battle of Hogwarts will the next chapter. I'm not hear to re-tell the story, so I'm skipping much of it. I hope this chapter is up to par; I like how it turned out :3 Chapters should be up every two to four days as of right now. Reviews make me write faster, though! Read, review and enjoy, m'dears :3 **

Pain was something that Harry had always lived with, whether it be the physical pain of hunger, the emotional pain of being unwanted, or the mental pain of Voldemort invading his mind. Even in Hogwarts, there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't experience some sort of sting one way or another.

But this deep, empty ache in his chest hurt more then even his scar did after a nightmare. Each thump of his heart hurt more then the last. His insides felt cold and numb. Even while having his two best friends at his side, he felt alone and distant. They made plans, tossed around ideas, but there was something missing. At first, Harry simply disregarded this pain, thinking it came from the death of Dumbledore, his beloved headmaster. It made sense at the time, seeing as it was still a fresh wound in his life. Time wore on, though, and Harry was learning to deal with his sadness from the loss. The pain was still there, though, strong, leaving him empty and lost.

Finally, the answer came to him in the form of a very vivid nightmare. _'Darkness claimed the sky, and a shadowed figure took off his cloak, revealing himself to be Lucius Malfoy. A smaller man was lingering beside him before he too stepped into the ring of light: Draco._

_Voldemort gave the two blondes a slow smirk. "Dear Draco, what news do you have for me?"_

"_Nothing, My Lord. I have already told you everything I know of Potter."_

"_Lies!" A red ray shot from Voldemort's wand, and Draco's screams pierced the still night.'_

Harry awoke in a pool of sweat, a scream escaping his own lips. Both Ron and Hermione were on their feet, wands drawn, clutched tightly in their hands.

Ron spoke first, glancing around for the reason for the screaming. "What's wrong, mate?"

The Gryffindor swallowed sharply, panting heavily as he attempted to calm himself down. "Nightmare," he muttered to his friend, pulling himself out of his bunk. Once his feet were on the ground, he pulled his shirt off over his head, glad to feel the cool air against his overheated skin.

Hermione gave him a look. "Was it...?"

"No. Just nightmares." He made sure to keep his voice firm, because in reality, he wasn't fully convinced it was simply his brain making up things from his thoughts. The thought of Voldemort torturing Draco for information about him, though, was too much to bear.

"I need some fresh air. I'll keep watch; Ron, get some sleep." The ginger man watched him for a moment before nodding and crawling under his blankets without another word.

Harry ran his fingers through his damp with sweat hair as he padded out into the cool night air, sighing as it hit his bare skin. Sitting down his back against a smooth-ish tree, the raven gripped his wand in his hand, his mind racing, trying to reason with itself.

It was no use, though. Reason was long gone when Draco was involved, replaced by somewhat blind love and adoration. And he missed the blonde more then he could imagine at the given moment. The ache in his chest seemed to deepen, making him feel worse and worse with each passing minute, hour, day, week. The more time, the more pain was sure to follow.

There were days that when all hope seemed lost, Harry would imagine Draco was with him, what he would do, what he would say. It helped solve problems more times then even he was willing to admit. On cold nights, he would imagine Draco was in his bed, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close under the blankets, keeping him warm and safe. Those nights, he would cry silently into his pillow as reality returned to him.

The imaginary Draco would be there when he was upset, rubbing his back and providing sweet whisperings into his ear that would make him go weak at the knees. During these weeks that soon turned into months, Harry knew that it wasn't healthy to deny the fact that Draco was a Death Eater, that he wasn't there, that he was most likely watching as people die and get tortured.

But, the faith that Harry had in the blonde boy was stronger then any bond that he had with Voldemort. Draco would do what was best for him and his family. He would save his mother, help keep his father alive and do all he could to keep himself alive and well in the process. Harry couldn't hate him for simply protecting himself and his family, even if some of the things he was going to be forced to do were less then kind. Draco was still pure of heart in the end. There was light within him that even Voldemort couldn't put out. And that was enough for Harry.

It wasn't until after Ron left that Harry was able to share this pain with Hermione, because now, she understood. She loved Ron, and he was gone. While he couldn't say the pain was as deep and wide as his own, it was still the same type of hollow ache.

The two Gryffindors shared a long cry together that night, giving each other silent comforting. Harry was able to sleep a bit better after finally letting it all out after months of holding it in.

More time passed, and things changed. Ron returned, and they finally managed to destroy the locket. Things were starting to look up for them. Harry actually laughed for the first time in a long time as they listened to Lee's radio show. Fred's jokes were infectious, and he was reminded of the twins who always had a way of breaking the ice and making everyone laugh.

It wasn't until after the show was over that things started to get... complicated.

Ron tried to stop Harry, but it was too late. They had alerted the Snatchers by saving Voldemort's name. Hermione's jinx hit him square in the face, throwing off his glasses. Through it was painful, Harry knew it was a brilliant idea. No one would be able to recognize him now. In theory, at least.

The effort the three of them took to keep Harry's true identity a secret was completely lost as Greyback smashed Harry's glasses on his face, gasping as the pieces came together. Harry was sure to keep a straight face, not willing to show Voldemort's followers any emotion, even more so things like fear and pain. They wouldn't break him. No one would break him.

The raven tried to tune out the conversation the Snatchers were having about him, but he heard the word 'Malfoy' and his heart leapt into his throat. Draco. He was going to Draco's manor.

A mix of emotions settled into his stomach as he was shoved in with the others, including Dean Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor. It was both depressing and exhilarating seeing an old friend. He wondered for a moment about Neville and Seamus before his logic reminded him that he was being taken to Voldemort by a savage werewolf and some Snatchers.

But, Draco would be there, and despite the reasoning he had to believe that the blonde wouldn't do anything about seeing him, his gut and his blind heart were telling him otherwise. His gut got him through some very difficult things in the past, so he was inclined to believe it. Keeping the hope alive was something that Harry was an expert at, and his hope that he could really see Draco and perhaps talk to him in private was definitely high. Smiling to himself, he allowed the werewolf to grab him before they Disapparated into the night.

Despite him being dragged there against his will with the claim that he would be taken to Voldemort (from the flashes in his mind, though, he wasn't at the manor), Harry still could notice that the grounds were downright beautiful, even at night. He allowed himself a small daydream of him and Draco strolling down the lawn together, hand-in-hand. The blonde would show him through the gardens in the back, watching his eyes light up at the blossoming flowers and fluttering butterflies. He would kiss Harry as the sun was starting to set, holding him close, keeping him protected...

The mental image was broken as he was shoved through the gate and into the building. Draco's mother, Narcissa, lead them through the hall filled with paintings into a dimly lit room. Harry didn't need his eyes to know Draco was there; the way his stomach dropped and his palms started to sweat was more then enough. Still, he could make out the blonde boy across the room faintly with his bloated face, reducing his eyes to slits.

Grey met green, and Harry was suddenly so glad for their advance form of eye communication. Draco was worried, fearful and depressed, all emotions Harry expected to see. After all, they were in the middle of a war, separated, and the Slytherin had to live with Voldemort for god knows how long, watch god knows what and hear things that most likely gave him nightmares.

Harry tried to tell Draco without words everything: that he missed the blonde, that he still loved him, that it would be okay, that he would defeat Voldemort, and they could be together at the end of it all. He wasn't sure if he got everything across, but he knew that Draco at least understood that he wasn't upset with him, and that was a start.

Narcissa called Draco over, asking him if Harry was really Potter. Draco bent down, now nearly inches from the Gryffindor. Their breaths mingled as the blonde studied Harry's puffy face. His dark eyes returned to Harry's, telling him so much with a single look. Draco was afraid, but he wouldn't rat out the raven. Harry smiled with his eyes at this, keeping his mouth in a firm line of non-expression. The Slytherin watched him for another moment, soaking up the details of the green eyed man before stepping back and giving the impatient Snatchers a shrug. "I... cannot be sure that it is really him." Lucius pushed him to look again, but Draco refused in a non-verbal way, stepping over to his mother and watching Harry from a distance.

Love and pride filled the Gryffindor's heart, and he tried to get this message to Draco, but Greyback growled out some words before he and Ron were forced into the cellar, still tied together.

Harry could hear a murmuring going on upstairs before he heard footsteps on the stairs. His heartbeat quickened as he watched the door. If it was someone coming to hurt them, they would have announced their presence and threatened the people in the cell, right? The door opened, and Harry's breath caught as he saw Draco enter the cellar. After he relocked the door with his wand, he raised his wand at the four people still tied together. The ropes fell off in an instant, and Harry didn't have time to rub the blood back into his fingers before a pair of warm arms wrapped tightly around him. The hug reminded him faintly of one of Mrs. Weasley's hugs, bone-crushing but still loving.

Wrapping his arms back around Draco, Harry allowed himself a few moments of weakness with simply holding onto the Slytherin, breathing in his scent and allowing some of the nerves to leave his body. After months of imagining an embrace, the real thing was ten-times better. Draco was shaking, and Harry soon realized why as they pulled away enough to look at each other; Harry's fingers were wrapped tightly around the blonde's forearms, keeping him from leaving again. Draco was forcing back tears.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, looking at Harry with a pleading look.

"I was never mad," the Gryffindor replied. "I was... there. The entire time. I know it was Snape, not you." Draco's eyes widened at this news, and he blinked away his tears to the best of his ability.

"Oh." He blinked again, processing things before he was able to smile, and Harry's heart broke at the sight, though he smiled too. "How... how are you?"

"Alive. That is all I can hope for at this point, though." Harry paused, brushing a few hairs out of Draco's eyes. His hand gently cupped the taller man's cheek. "I've seen you. Through his eyes, of course, but it always made me happy knowing that you were still here, save and alive."

Draco gave him another sad little smile. "Yeah. I'm okay. Mother cries often, though. I hear her. I wonder if my father knows." He sighed, wrapping Harry in another hug that lasted not nearly long enough. "I love you," he whispered.

The magic and feeling behind those words were ruined by Hermione's screams piercing the entire house. Ron spoke, clearing his throat. "As touching as this is, we have bigger problems." His voice shook with anger and rage, and Harry understood.

Pulling himself from Draco's comforting embrace, he offered the blonde a sad smile of his own. "You need to get up there before someone notices you're gone."

Draco frowned deeply with a sigh. "Yes." He looked over at the goblin. "I was sent down here for you in the first place." The creature narrowed his eyes, but allowed himself to be dragged to the stairs. Draco threw a look back at Harry. "When the time comes, take my wand. They obviously took mine, and you will need one much more then I do." His look softened. "Please, be careful. I don't want to see you again until the Dark Lord is dead, as bad as that sounds."

Harry watched him before giving him a slow nod. "We're working on it." He crossed the small space over to the blonde, leaning up. "I love you. Be safe." With that, he gave him a firm, quick kiss on his lips before gently nudging him to the stairs.

The Slytherin blinked at the kiss, his eyes filling with tears before he forced them away and took the goblin upstairs.

Dobby appeared after that, and finally the chance at getting out of this alive was looking up. A quick plan was made, and Harry watched as the four Apparated out of the cellar. Wormtail trudged down the stairs, but he was easily overpowered by both boys as well as his own silver hand. It was pitiful the way he had to die, but Harry didn't have the time or the emotions to pity anyone, even more so Wormtail.

Glass was spewed everywhere, and Harry felt his heart stop for a moment as Draco's face got bloodied. He jumped over to him, out of instinct, and their eyes met for a split second before Harry snatched the three wands out of his hand and returned to Ron and Hermione. Dobby was already holding onto them, along with the goblin. Harry grabbed onto the group of them, managing one more look over his shoulder at Draco. There was another brief meeting of their eyes before Dobby Disapparated.

That was the last he saw of Draco for a long time.


	5. Moment to Fight

**A/N: This one is short, sweet and to the point. Again, I suck at fight scenes, but I did my best. I'm not sure what the next chapter will be about at all, but I will re-read parts of the book tomorrow and figure out what I want to write about. I'm afraid this story isn't going to be very long; eight chapters is my guess as of right now, but who knows? I may change my mind and add more. When the time comes, I want your opinions too, if you want me to write more of their post-war life! As of now, though, read this chapter and the next few as they wrap up the war. Read, review and enjoy!**

The remaining road was long and difficult. They were able to retrieve another Horcrux from Bellatrix's vault, but at a great price: the sword of Gryffindor. Harry made a mental note never to trust a Goblin again as long as he could avoid it. Sneaky little bastard. Bill had given him a fair warning, but at least they had the Horcrux now. Destroying it was another matter all together.

The three Gryffindors were faced with the truth: the needed to visit Hogwarts both to find the last Horcrux and to find other means of destroying the remaining two they had control of. There were still two others that needed to be destroyed, as well as the piece of soul that still remained in Voldemort himself, but that was another trouble. Harry was content with just taking it one step at a time. For now, they needed to get the last Horcrux they needed to get their hands on: Ravenclaw's tiara. They knew where it was, but getting it was the difficult part.

The Room of Hidden Objects was huge, full of junk that students had placed in the room over the years. Piles upon piles of stuff teetered on the edge of falling over. Harry was careful where he stepped, knowing that the tiara was somewhere close by...

"Harry!" A frantic, but familiar voice closed upon him followed by a blonde boy who was on the edge of tears.

Draco.

After months of not seeing each other, Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach at the sight of the Slytherin. He was frazzled, panicked by still so beautiful and as wonderful as he remembered. A part of him wanted to forget the god damn Horcrux and simply allow Draco to hold him for several days of peace and quiet. Of course, this was not possible, but the Gryffindor was allowed a day dream every now and again.

Shaking away the thoughts as Draco came nearer, the raven reached out and caught Draco's hands, holding them firmly in his own as he spoke. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

The blonde threw himself at Harry, shaking his head against the other man's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop them, but they followed me down here after I heard about you being here..." he muttered, obviously quite distressed over this.

"Who?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around Draco and gently rubbing his back. He savored the moment he was allowed to hold him, knowing that until this was all over, he wouldn't get another chance like this. He did not need Draco's answer to see the two large Slytherin figures walk into his line of sight: Crabb and Goyle.

Blind instinct took over; he shoved Draco roughly behind him, Draco's wand drawn in front of him. The blonde hissed, moving to stand beside Harry with his own wand drawn. Harry abled himself a split second to wonder who's wand that was before his eyes returned to the meat heads in front of him. "What do you want?" he growled.

"The Dark Lord wants you, Potter. We'll get rewarded greatly if we bring him to you," Crabb replied.

Ron's voice echoed in worry. "Harry, who are you talking to?" From the sounds of it, he wasn't close enough to hear the reply, so Harry turned his attention back to Crabb and Goyle.

"Oh? You think so?" Slowly edging backward, the Gryffindor tried to close the distance between him and the tiara, needing to get it while the two were distracted.

"Yeah, we do. After Malfoy got soft on us, we had to find other ways to get power." Crabb finally took notice to the gap between Draco and Harry and growled out a curse just as Ron came around the corner. A pile of junk started to teeter, falling toward the three boys.

Harry managed to gasp out a spell to stop it from falling on them. A red light shot past Crabb's head; Hermione appeared from the corner Ron was just in. She briefly glanced at Draco, who was now closing the distance between Harry and himself. Harry caught Draco's wrist, rubbing his fingers over it. It was an action to sooth both of them, but mostly the raven.

"Filthy Muddblood!" Crabb roared. "Avada Kedavra!" Green light flared from the end of his wand, in Hermione's direction. It missed, destroying the stone head that the tiara was set upon. The tiara flew off into a pile of shit.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione's charm hit Crabb's wand, knocking it out of his hand into a pile of rubbish. Harry took the moment to start looking for the fallen tiara, knowing that his friends would protect him if Crabb did get his wand back.

However, the Slytherin simply grabbed Goyle's wand and shouted a spell that Harry had never heard of before. Thick waves of fire poured out of the wand tip. Harry attempted at a water charm to protect the four of them, but to no luck. It was too hot of a fire, too powerful of a spell. Ron, thankfully, found a pair of heavy brooms that seemed to be in working order. Climbing onto one, Harry pulled Draco on behind them as Ron did the same with Hermione. The Gryffindor's kicked off of the ground just as the fire started taking shapes of dragons and other creatures of fire.

They were about half way out of the room when Harry looked over his shoulder. With much hesitation, he turned the broom around and quickly swooped up Goyle's now unconscious form. Draco helped hold onto the fallen Slytherin; it was too late for Crabb.

Ron was yelling at him, but the Seeker also managed to pull a sharp turn and grab onto the tiara with the end of Draco's wand; it coiled around his arm nicely as they pulled out of the room, narrowly escaping the fire. Harry, Draco and Goyle found themselves in a messy pile on the floor. As they detached themselves, Draco shook his head in sort of a sad way. "While stupid, reckless and cruel, Crabb was still decent company at times." Harry allowed him a moment of grief before he turned his attention to the tiara around his wrist. It was burnt.

Hermione smiled gently at him and the destroyed Horcrux. "It's destroyed. That was cured fire, hot enough to destroy Horcruxes." Harry chucked it away, standing with a sigh. Draco was at his side, slipping his soft hand into the raven's calloused one. Harry couldn't help but look at him and give the blonde a sad little smile. It was returned, and they shared a tender moment of eye contact. All of the emotions and worries they had without each other passed through their eyes in several seconds; everything was understood with ease.

Suddenly, Harry's scar burned, and he was seeing through Voldemort's eyes. Lucius was begging to see if Draco was okay, and Voldemort told him no and that Potter would come to him in time. He called for Snape, sending Lucius off to find him. Harry was able to see that he was in Shrieking Shack before the vision faded.

Grasping as he returned to the present, he leaned against Draco for a moment before he was able to stand up straight and speak of what he saw. "He's in the Shrieking Shack. He sent Lucius to get Snape, for some reason." His green eyes turned to Draco. "And your father is looking for you. He seems very worried."

The Slytherin held his gaze for several seconds before nodding slowly. "I suppose I should go find him, then. And my mother... She doesn't have her wand, as I have borrowed it." He looked down at the wand in his palm before looking back up at Harry. His eyes were turning wet as the reality of parting again hit him. "Please. Be careful," he whispered, wrapping a hand around the back of Harry's neck.

The raven hooked an arm around Draco's waist, holding him tight for a moment before kissing his forehead. "I will end this soon. I promise." Green saw into dark grey. "I love you," the Gryffindor whispered. Draco leaned up to kiss Harry firmly on the mouth, drowning the simply touch in emotions. It lasted a few long seconds before they broke apart. Draco tore off the other way, dodging curses and hex from every which way. Harry watched him until he vanished around the corner. He felt his heart break watching him leave, the worry already starting to eat at his stomach.

The war hit him at full force shortly after that as Fred died, and the determination and will burned in his blood even deeper then before. The desire to avenge the countless deaths and the need to protect those alive fueled these emotions, and that was something that Voldemort could never understand.

It was the greatest weapon against him.

_Love._


	6. Survivors

It was over. Voldemort was dead, fully gone from this world. Harry was left exhausted, drained and mildly confused. After he had ended everything, people swarmed him, shaking his hand, hugging him, kissing his cheek, pouring tears over him and all sorts of other things. Yet... Draco wasn't there, in his place by his side. The attention was nice, and the feeling of finally being free from the war and everything was a bigger relief then he could imagine. But, without Draco, he felt kind of empty. It wasn't like he did what he did _just_ for the Slytherin, of course, but the though of freeing Draco and being able to live his life freely with the man was defiantly in the back of his mind during the final battle.

Sitting next to Luna, Harry's eyes searched desperately for his boyfriend, knowing he would most likely be with his parents. He finally found him, but Draco did not look up at him. He looked afraid, scared, nervous and all sorts of other negative emotions. Frowning, Harry took a swig of pumpkin juice before looking for a distraction so he could sneak off and speak with Draco privately. Luna smiled gently at him. "You look like you want to get away."

"More then you can imagine."

"I can provide a distraction. Use your cloak." Without another word, the Ravenclaw gasped, pointing to a distant window and crying, "Look, a Blibbering Humdiger!" Everyone around them looked to the window. Harry slipped his cloak on and got to his feet, silently thanking Luna's mildly crazy mind.

Carefully walking over to the blonde boy, he leaned in next to his ear and whispered, "Draco, it's me. Care to sneak off with me?" Draco jumped slightly, looking over his shoulder at the empty space before giving a slow nod.

"Please excuse me, Mother. Harry wishes to see me." He gave her a shaky smile, followed before a kiss on her cheek before standing and blindly finding a small invisible finger he could hold onto and allow to lead him. Harry gently tugged him out of the Great Hall were everyone was sitting, eating and relaxing from the long night.

They walked silently to the Gryffindor tower, exchanging no words nor did Harry take of the cloak until they had reached the fat lady's portrait. She beamed at him. "Mr. Potter! How are you, dear?"

He couldn't help but smile at her as he full took Draco's hand into his own and griped it tightly. Though grumpy at times, she was still a kind women, almost motherly once in a while. "Tired. I was hoping to sneak away and enjoy some much needed rest."

"Of course! You deserve years of rest after destroying V-Voldemort once and for all." She swung open, allowing the two boys inside.

Once they were safely behind the walls of the common room, Harry tossed the cloak onto one of the chairs before wrapping himself in Draco's warm, comforting arms. The Slytherin's grip on him was tight, almost possessive. They swayed, holding each other for a few long minutes. Harry could feel tears on his shoulder, and even a few of his own slipped out. The intense emotions of the war were finally hitting him, full force, and he allowed himself to show weakness. It was just him and Draco now, safe and together.

Finally, Draco spoke, though he dared not pull away in fear of Harry being snatched up from his arms. "When everyone thought you were dead, I considered simply casting the killing curse on myself to avoid the intense pain that suddenly filled my entire being. The very thought of you not being here in my arms was far too much to bare." He added, as an afterthought, "And, well, he would have won then, and I would be forced to do more horrible things to innocent people."

Harry's grip on Draco's shoulders tightened. "Your mother saved my life in that moment."

This took the blonde by surprise, and he managed to pull away slightly to show Harry his surprise. The Gryffindor smiled at his boyfriend. "She told Voldemort I was dead even though she knew I was still alive. She wanted to know if you were at the school alive, and I told her yes."

The mix of emotions that passed over Draco's face was quite interesting. First it was amazement, then pride, then joy. Suddenly, he brought his lips to Harry's, kissing him desperately with so much need and passion that the raven's knees nearly gave on him.

"I love you so god damn much," Draco whispered in a pant against Harry's ear as he simply held him after the long kiss.

Harry smiled blissfully, finally feeling free and light since the war started. "I love you too, Draco." The blonde kissed him again after that, causing his head to spin. They hadn't been able to spend time together since last year, more then a few moments here or there, and Harry wasn't used to feeling such intense feelings.

The lust that he had for the Slytherin was a mild shock, but Draco's hand squeezed his arse, and his hormones reminded him of the many nights they had spent together under a silencing charm up in his bedroom. The memories of their intimate moments flashed behind his eyes. His pants suddenly felt tighter, and a small groan escaped his lips. Draco took this in stride, smirking against the sensitive skin of Harry's neck. "Miss me, have you?"

"More-More then you can imagine," Harry gasped out as the blonde boy's hand groped his ass. "Let's g-go up to my b-bed."

Draco smirked again at the stuttering, easily lifting Harry into his arms and taking him up to the Gryffindor's dorm room. Gently setting his boyfriend down on the soft, made up bed, Draco straddled Harry, kissing him deeply and passionately. His hands roamed, finding their way to the other man's shirt. The kiss was broken so he could remove the shirt, and his mouth trailed down to worship the beautiful tan skin he found under the clothing item. His tongue flickered against the Gryffindor's nipples, and the wonderful language of the snakes escaped Harry's lips. The Slytherin groaned at the sound, becoming fully hard at the hissed words.

The raven's hands groped Draco's back, clawing at the shirt before he pulled away to remove it. Calloused hands met pale skin, and Draco shuttered at his touch, missing it more then living itself. The pair of them became less frantic as more skin was exposed. The touches became less sexual and violet and more loving and tender. The two wanted it to last; they wanted to remember their time together after having to spend so much time apart.

Draco's hands started removing Harry's pants, and the Gryffindor turned the tables on his boyfriend, positioning himself on the inside of Draco's thighs. The blonde gave up control, allowing Harry to kiss his chest and work of his pants. Harry took this in stride, attending to Draco's nipples and abs with gentle kisses and flicks of his tongue as his fingers worked off the Slytherin's pants and boxers. Gently pealing of Harry's lower clothing, Draco kissed his boyfriend deeply, putting so much emotion into a single action, his heart ached a bit.

Their actions were slow and sensational as Draco wordlessly cast a lubrication charm on his fingers, glad to feel his own wand back in his palm. He carefully inserted a finger into Harry, stretching him out after over a year of not being able to be together in this manor. The Gryffindor soon relaxed under his three fingers, and Draco charmed his member with the same charm to keep it slick. The blonde wordlessly met Harry's eyes, allowing the emotions to pass between them before he inserted himself into Harry's tight whole.

The memories of their past love making sessions greeted him as he watched Harry's face circle emotions, ending with a loving pled that Draco couldn't deny even if he wanted to. Leaning down, he kissed Harry as he pulled out nearly all the way and thrust back in. They both gasped in shared pleasure.

Neither of them lasted long the first time, but it didn't matter to them. Being together after a year of not being able to see each other for longer then five minutes was more then enough for the two boys.

Harry insisted that they shower before they went to bed, and Draco agreed. The grim of war was still on them, on top of the sweat of sex. The shower lasted a while as they shared a stall, slowly washing each other. It was more then that, though. They weren't just washing away the dirt, blood and sweat; they were washing away their fears, their worries, their mistakes, their pain and everything else that had came with Voldemort and the war. The mark on Draco's arm was a painful reminder of what happened, but it was already beginning to fade, like their wounds. They both bore scars, both physical and mental, from the war, but it made them both stronger in the end. It gave them something to remember, something to cherish: they survived.

More then that, even, their love survived as well. If that wasn't something to cherish, Harry didn't know what was.

**A/N: So, this is the possible end for this fanfiction. I'm actually quite happy to end it here and move on with a new story for Drarry (because I have a new idea I really want to write about that is post-Hogwarts and pretty damn amazing sounding). But, I want reader's views too. So, review/PM me your view on me ending this sequel here and moving on, or adding on about their post-war life together. I would prefer to leave it, as it feels done to me, but let me know what you think. And, of course, review how this chapter turned out, as always. Thanks readers :3  
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